I, Puck

i really enjoy my job.

honestly.

i enjoy what i do when i get there. i enjoy the people i see there. i like the free cans of soda they have there. to quote the wise american poet stanley burrell, 'it's all good.'

but then there are some days that transcend even the usual day to day enjoyability.

like the other day, when i got to go out and spend 15 quality minutes with a man i have admired and been entertained by ever since the first time i ever saw him rip a howling audience an assymetrical new butthole.

my man, don rickles.


as part of the pr push for his new book, "rickles' book" - which happens to be an entertaining, if pretty quick and light, read - mr warmth made an appearance at an la bookstore to greet his faithful fans, pass out a few pre-signed copies of his work and give an interview to a certain handsome young man, one whom we all know and love.

now, we've all seen plenty of interviews with rickles over the years, and i, for one, have always enjoyed it when he does his thing and attacks whoever's asking the questions with a gleam in his eye - whether that person is larry king, or my buddy fink, who once faced a particularly fierce rickles hazing without being completely familiar with his schtick and actually looked kind of dazed when it was all over. and to tell the truth, every time i've seen it happen, it's only made me want to face the man more. just to experience an honest-to-goodness ricklesing.

which is why i was so psyched when i got the assignment.

on this particular evening, however, i found myself across from a rickles who is obviously ready to enjoy the pure adulation that comes with a lifetime of stellar work. the man i spoke to wasn't 'the merchant of venom', but rather a sweet mensch - the one that we've always known was there just behind the crusty persona. he spoke glowingly of his wife barbara, and it was clear how much he loves her - and he spoke wistfully of his buddies frank and johnny, and it was clear how much he misses them.

to me, though, the coolest part of the evening, was when, towards the end of our conversation, rickles' two very young grandsons arrived at the bookstore and immediately climbed up into a pair of stools alongside where their grandpa was holding court. the minute they did, he lit up like vegas itself, and stopped for a moment to silently appreciate how much they meant to him - looking more like a proud zayde than the guy who used to pal around with the rat pack.

when the interview was over, and the camera was turned off, and before they started letting the hundreds of people waiting outside in to genuflect in front of this icon, i decided to take a rare opportunity to play fanboy. i told rickles honestly how much his comedy has made me laugh over the years, and how much i appreciate all he's done over his career. and although i'm sure he hears stuff like that every 5 minutes, he seemed to me to be genuinely appreciative of my words - and was nice enough to compliment me on my questions and the way i conducted the interview, before offering his hand up for a surprisingly firm shake.


and in the end, that kind gesture meant more to me than any insult i originally hoped he'd fire my way.